Speakers
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Author, Professional Speaker, Consultant
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With more than 20 years in wedding related sales and marketing, Alan is uniquely qualified to help local wedding businesses achieve their goals. He is the founder of The Wedding Industry Leaders Conference, an organization dedicated to the educating and consulting of highly motivated individuals and businesses. Alan is the author of the new book If Your Website Was An Employee, Would You Fire It?. He is a professional speaker and member of the National Speakers Association, the leading organization for professional speakers. Alan speaks to thousands of local business professionals every year through webinars and live presentations. |
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Owner, Be In Love Designs
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Erin is the owner of Be In Love Designs, one of the fastest growing custom stationery and event design studios in the southwest. She is a graduate of the Art Institute of Phoenix, with her Bachelor?s degree in Graphic Design. Before joining the wedding industry and starting her own business, she was Art Director and Marketing Strategist at Corporate Enhancement Group, where she managed and oversaw operations of three separate online print companies. |
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President, Bridal Training and Marketing Systems
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Jim formed Bridal Training and Marketing Systems to help wedding professionals grow their businesses. He is a featured columnist in Vows Magazine, and is the president of En Vogue Bride and Madeline Anne Bridal designer bridal gowns. He and his wife Heather grew their bridal shop to over $1,000,000 in sales in just three years. Previously, Jim was Director of Business Development for Impact Media (and their top sales person) with millions of dollars in sales with such clients as Fidelity Investments, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Upper Deck, Toyota, including Ogilvy, J. Walter Thompson, Brodeur Worldwide and DNB Media. |
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Director, The Knot Market Intelligence
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In her role as Director of The Knot Market Intelligence, Laura has helped thousands of wedding pro?s improve their marketing and sales skills through presentations and webinars from the creators of the #1 wedding website TheKnot.com. The program also features the company?s best-in-class weddings industry research. An accomplished marketing and communications professional and a five-year veteran of The Knot, Laura previously managed the company?s Investor Relations and Corporate Communications efforts. |
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Chief Executive Officer, Wedding Wire.com
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Timothy first developed the concept of WeddingWire shortly after getting married in 2005. As an experienced entrepreneur, Timothy sought out to assemble a team and build a technology that would help both engaged couples and vendors in the wedding industry. Prior to co-founding WeddingWire, Timothy co-founded Blackboard Inc (Nasdaq: BBBB) in 1998. While at Blackboard, Timothy pioneered many of Blackboard's products and strategic initiatives, helping the company grow to over 600 employees and a valuation of over $750 Million. |
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Founder, The Wedding Marketing Network
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Andy Ebon operates The Wedding Marketing Network based in Las Vegas. His company began as EBS Virtual Communications, providing internet and other electronic marketing solutions for small and medium size companies concentrated in just a few areas: Association, Hospitality, Entertainment, Weddings and General Business. Andy created The Wedding Marketing Blog and is launching WeddingMarketingRadio.com for podcasts. Andy is the author of Marketing and Selling to the 21st Century Bride. |
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President, Perfect Wedding Guide
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Ms. Elliot oversees all areas of operation and product development for PWG Franchising, LLC and PWG Publishing, LLC. Operating in 45 markets and covering 60 cities, Perfect Wedding Guide is the largest national network of bridal marketing companies encompassing print, internet, database marketing, bridal shows and more in the U.S. Before joining Perfect Wedding, Ms. Elliot spent 25 years in sales, consulting and managing in a variety of mediums such as, Radio, TV, Cable, Print and Internet. She has guided many organizations such as ABCRadio/Atlanta, Cox Enterprises, Buckeye Cable, GAF Corp. and many more through start up and turnaround situations. Tammy joined Perfect Wedding Guide as President in 2004. |
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Author
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Chris Evans is the author of How To Double Your Wedding Business in 12 Months. He also contributes to numerous wedding publications. Chris has over 29 years of wedding business experience and has been hired by major wedding organizations, including David?s Bridal, to teach wedding professionals how to be more effective in their advertising. Chris has a passion for helping smaller wedding businesses succeed in a world of big businesses. |
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Author
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John is a veteran of over 2,000 weddings over the past 24 years. He is the author of The Business of Wedding & Special Event Videography and is a Contributing Editor for Videomaker Magazine and EventDV Magazine. John owned a wedding gown shop for five years and currently owns Godfather Films. He is President of Professional Photographers of California and Professional Photographers & Videographers of the Inland Empire, Director of the Association of Bridal Consultants ? Inland Empire, and Board Member of the National Association of Catering Executives ? Inland Empire. John has received numberous honors and awards, and has been named one of the Top 25 Videographers in the World for three years in a row. |
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Chief Marketing Officer, Wedding Wire.com
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Sonny leads WeddingWire's marketing strategy, customer acquisition, and business development. Prior to joining WeddingWire, Sonny was in a management program at Wal-Mart where he led marketing, sales, and retail strategy development. Before this experience, Sonny spent four years at Kraft Foods where he managed numerous consumer brands, including the JELL-O business with P&L responsibility for over $800 Million. During his tenure, his brands' reached record volume, revenue, and profitability levels. Sonny has structured partnerships with companies such as NBC, MTV, Conde Nast (Modern Bride and Brides magazines), Mattel, Universal, Dole, Reynolds, Costco, and Safeway. |
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Founder and CEO, Great Bridal Expo
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When it comes to reaching out to the bride, Great Bridal Expo founder Bill Heaton knows there?s no business like show business. As the founder and CEO of The Great Bridal Expo Group, Inc., the nation's only national touring bridal show, Heaton has been presenting professionally produced bridal events in major U.S. media markets for over 30 years. Heaton?s events feature a balanced mix of national and local exhibitors; three New York-style fashion shows; compelling promotions throughout the program and a complete post-show marketing system. A licensed attorney, long-time entrepreneur, and highly successful wedding marketer, Heaton has conducted exhibitor training seminars throughout the U.S., teaching businesses how to effectively present themselves at bridal shows in impactful and creative ways?and how to maintain that top-of-mind presence and one-on-one relationship with the bride long after the curtain has closed. |
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Chancellor, Wedding Merchants Business Academy
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Will began as a wedding photographer at the age of 15. He earned his degree in Business Management, started Images Wedding Photography, and sold it. He is the founding president of Rockford Fosgate car audio, which went public. Will & his wife Patti met at a wedding, where he was the photographer and she was a bridesmaid. Patti has her Masters in Education. They organized their first bridal show in 1992 with 28 exhibitors. In 2010, their two shows each had over 600 exhibitors, the largest in America. |
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CEO & Chief Designer, kathy ireland worldwide
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Kathy Ireland, CEO and Chief Designer of kathy ireland Worldwide® successfully launched kathy ireland Weddings® by 2be in Spring 2011. kathy ireland Home designs America's most widely successful home collection, offering lighting, flooring, furniture, windows, window coverings, accessories and more. The brand's success began with a pair of socks. To date, kathy ireland socks have sold over 100 million pairs. Kathy's wedding fashion designs are manufactured by Mon Cheri. The collection offers over 30,000 Bridal, Bridesmaids, Mother of the Bride and other creative styles. This venture enhances kathy ireland Weddings, a program which offers fine jewelry, multiple wedding destinations, including two estates in Hawaii, Santa Barbara, West Hollywood, and Palm Springs. Kathy's missions are... "finding solutions for people in love", "...finding solutions for families, especially busy moms" and "finding solutions for people in business". Kathy supports countless non-profit organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Make a Wish Foundation, Toys for Tots, the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation and Operation Gratitude. Kathy is the American Heritage Award honoree from the Anti Defamation League and she is one of the Top Ten Women's Health Advocates in America, according to UCLA. Two of Kathy's greatest passions are helping brides and businesses. Time spent with Kathy will help your business grow! Forbes.com names Kathy Ireland one of the 20 Best-Branded Women on twitter. Forbes Magazine reports that kathy ireland Worldwide®, is a ?design empire which grosses over 1.4 billion dollars annually in retail sales.? 2011 License Global Magazine names kathy ireland Worldwide® the #28 most powerful licensed brand globally. |
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Associate Publisher, Local, Conde Nast Digital / Brides.com
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A 20 year forward-thinking magazine and digital media Associate Publisher, David Katz currently oversees Conde Nast?s Local Bridal Division comprising of 16 local bridal magazines and the correlating Local digital components at Brides.com. David?s bridal marketing experience stretches across 10 years, the last 6 years of which he?s helped re-shape Conde Nast?s commitment to the local bridal landscape and laid the groundwork for the 2010 Summer Launch of the new Brides.com. David?s strength lies in his unequivocal understanding and appreciation for the Local Wedding Professional and the marketing challenges that must be overcome with their limited dollars. David is headquartered in New York, but more often is found on the road meeting with local wedding vendors; learning, creating and nurturing long-standing, mutually beneficial relationships. |
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Digital Content Manager & Strategist, Get Married Media
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Summer brings a wealth of experience to the table as both a wedding expert and veteran digital content strategist. She began a publicist and freelance-style writer, and then quickly moved through the ranks as both an editor and an online brand advocate for such companies as The Knot, Alloy Media and Entertainment Weekly. From helming one of the first social media networks in the world, to directing the launch of UsMagazine.com, Summer?s investment in market trends and her ongoing passion for the wedding category make her uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between traditional editorial/advertising avenues (within the bridal space) and emerging technology across social media and beyond. |
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Co-Founder and CEO, The Knot
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David and his business partners (including wife Carley Roney) envisioned that the Internet would relieve the frustrations of planning a wedding, and have grown The Knot into the most-trafficked online wedding destination. David drove innovative strategies and raised several rounds of financing to carry The Knot from an Internet start-up to a multimillion-dollar media leader in the wedding and lifestyle category. He also founded The Nest and The Bump to serve couples after the honeymoon. David is leading The Knot into broadband and mobile technology with The Knot TV and a mobile message board for the iPhone, Weddings 911 by The Knot. David received his BFA in film and television from New York University. Ernst & Young named him 2008 Media Entrepreneur of the Year. |
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Vice President,The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada
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Tracey has contributed wedding advice to every major Canadian newspaper and several wedding magazines. She has her own Ask Tracey column in SPOSA Wedding Magazine, and has participated in wedding-related television shows. Tracey teaches Destination Wedding Coordination at The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada, Canada?s only licensed Wedding Coordination Certification Program & Association. She also trains on-site wedding coordinators at destination resorts. In the last year, Tracey has toured over 30 Destination Wedding locations in the US and Caribbean with Sandals, SuperClubs, and The Bahamas Tourism Board. |
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Vice President, Association for Wedding Professionals International
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Julia Markel is co-founder and Vice-President of Public Relations & Education for the Association for Wedding Professionals, International, the oldest international association for all categories of the wedding industry. She is also co-owner, with Richard, of MarNel Productions, producing the Bridal Expo in California since 1985. She has provided services - and consulting - to wedding professionals for the past 25 years. Julia has lived in California most of her life, but grew up in Arkansas, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Education. She received her journalism training at California State University, Sacramento. She has presented wedding marketing seminars in the U.S. and worldwide for the past 17 years. Julia is the author of Success from Bridal Shows: More than Just a Pretty Booth, and has written articles on how to get more business from bridal shows. |
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Author
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Peter Merry is the author of The Best Wedding Reception...Ever! and has entertained at Wedding Receptions since 1992. He owns Merry Weddings and lives in Southern California with his wife, Lisa. He served nationally as President of the American Disc Jockey Association in 2003 & 2004, and has been a featured speaker at professional associations and conferences across the United States. Peter describes himself as a ?Wedding Entertainment Director?" and he is very passionate about helping couples create unforgettably fun celebrations. |
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Director, Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants
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Deborah joined the ACPWC in 1995 and served as Chairperson for the past 6 years. As a result of her untiring dedication to the Association, she was presented with the ?Spirit of ACPWC Award." She has been acknowledged in the Cambridge "Who?s Who" for demonstrating leadership and achievement in her profession. Prior to accepting the position of Director, Deborah represented the ACPWC in Ireland and also spoke at the International Bridal Expo in Beijing, China. As ACPWC'S new Director, Deborah looks forward to continuing the legacy that began 19 years ago by Founder and Former Director, Ann Nola. |
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SEO Manager, WedLock Magazine
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After launching an ecommerce site, Nicole soon instead fell in love with SEO. So she shifted her energy and my talent into creating a company that could help others bring their sites to the front page. These days, her SEO company, Start Ranking Now, is the bulk of her business. She has 35 employees in eight countries and the business continues to grow. Nicole says ?I still have my ecommerce sites, but SEO is what excites me most. I love the challenge ? the game of it. Friends asked me to help them and I did. Clients asked me to train their employees and I did. So now I?ve decided to take what I?ve learned over the past 7 years and share it with others through seminars, live events, and workshops. I guess I never really stopped being a teacher. |
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Co-Founder and Editor in Chief, The Knot
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Carley Roney and husband David Liu launched The Knot in 1996 to enhance the wedding planning process with the convenience of Internet technology. She lead the launch of The Nest and The Bump, and directed the integration of WeddingChannel into the company?s portfolio. Roney appears frequently on national television shows, including Oprah, The View, The TODAY Show, and The Early Show. She contributes to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, Glamour, Vogue, Elle, and Self. Her advice column "Ask Carley" appears in more than 70 newspapers. She is the author of several books, and was named one of Crain?s New York Forty Under. Roney holds an MA in cultural studies from New York University and a BFA from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Institute of Film and Television. |
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Premier Bride magazine
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Deb Sadowski leads the Premier Bride publications, serving brides in 28 markets. Deb has extensive sales backgrounds, with over 25 years of face-to-face sales. Deb received her sales training at Dun & Bradstreet and Dale Carnegie. She was also in medical sales, where she was top salesperson for 10 years. |
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Perfect Wedding Guide
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Susan is the National Wedding Expert for Perfect Wedding Guide and is President of Just Marry!, a full-service wedding planning company in Orlando, Florida. Susan?s exceptional weddings have been featured numerous times on the Style Network?s Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? and TLC?s A Wedding Story. Her cutting-edge advice has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Leisure, and The Orlando Business Journal. Susan has planned thousands of weddings around the world, and was honored as one of 30 A-List Destination Wedding Planners in the world by Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine. |
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Author, Event Designer, & Founder, Wish Upon a Wedding
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Sasha Souza is a Master Bridal Consultant, author, and founder of Wish Upon a Wedding, a wedding-wish-granting non-profit for couples facing terminal illness.
She is the author of Signature Sasha: Magnificent Weddings by Design, which provides brides, event planners and florists with unique wedding design inspiration. Sasha has received Designer of the Year Award, Special Events Gala Awards, and three ISES Westie Awards. She serves on the Event Solutions Advisory Board, and is Events Chair of the Search Foundation, which helps event planners who face catastrophic loss and illness. |
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Founder, United Wedding
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Scott founded and operates United Wedding, an award-winning Fine Art Wedding Filmmaking studio based in Richmond Virginia. In addition to wedding films, he has produced an award winning wedding planning TV show, BRIDESight TV and shares ownership in Richmond's Premier Bride magazine with his wife Stephanie. Scott has 11 years of experience marketing to brides and grooms as well as an extensive background of networking with other wedding service professionals. |
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President, The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada
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Danielle has coordinated hundreds of weddings, including Cultural, Celebrity and Destination, and is the Co-Producer of the Wedding Professionals International Conference. She often consults on wedding-related television and has been quoted in every Canadian newspaper and wedding magazine. Danielle teaches Destination Wedding Coordination at The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada, Canada?s only licensed Wedding Coordination Certification Program & Association. She also trains on-site wedding coordinators at destination resorts. In the last year, Danielle has toured over 30 Destination Wedding locations in the US and Caribbean with Sandals, SuperClubs, and The Bahamas Tourism Board. |
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Vice President Sales, Wedding MBA
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Shannon Underwood is Conference Director and Vice-President of Sales for the Wedding MBA and the Bridal Fashion Debut, America's largest bridal show. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona and has her Masters Degree in Business. Her experience includes pharmaceutical sales, where she lead her team to numerous sales awards. |
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Senior Vice President, Publisher Martha Stewart Weddings
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Amy Wilkins is responsible for overseeing and setting the advertising sales strategy for Martha Stewart Weddings magazine and managing the advertising sales team. In addition, she is charged with driving strategy, new business development and revenue across platforms for MSLO?s Weddings franchise, an important growth area for the company. A talented sales and marketing executive, Ms. Wilkins was previously Publisher of Country Home and Better Homes and Gardens magazines. She was also Publisher of Smithsonian and Biography magazines, and President of Petersen Youth Group. Ms. Wilkins spent seven years at Time Inc. before becoming Publisher of Health magazine. |
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Author
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Larry is a journalist, radio broadcaster, public speaker and 21-year veteran of the wedding industry. He writes for various regional and national publications, and has authored three books on professional business management, ethical standards and customer service. Larry received the American Disc Jockey Association?s Michael Butler Humanitarian Award. He is a on the Board of Directors for the Wedding Entertainment Director?s Guild. Larry?s latest book is Customer Service A to Z, with a Foreword by entertainment legend Dick Clark. It details the imperfections that exist in most customer service models. |